This invention relates to an improvement in a diffuser assembly for use in the aeration of liquids, more particularly sewage waste water and industrial waste water.
Diffused aeration systems supply oxygen to waste water, and keep solids in suspension with gentle mixing. Diffusing ambient air into waste water from municipal sources or from commercial or industrial installations facilitates the growth of particular bacteria. These bacteria then produce beneficial enzymes.
A piping network which may be bolted to the basin floor or weighted with ballast to prevent buoyancy from carrying the pipe to the water""s surface. The piping network consists of a vertical drop pipe, typically metal, a manifold, either plastic or metal, and a plurality of air distribution headers.
Conventional diffusers are connected to the distribution headers with glue-on, clamp-on, screw-on saddles, or are screwed into female sockets or grommets. Each of these methods of connecting diffusers to pipe are time consuming.
Glue-on diffusers consist of 4 partsxe2x80x94a PVC base piece solvent welded onto an air distribution header, a backer plate, a membrane and a retaining ring. Typically the installing contractor must attach the backer plate, membrane and retaining ring at the jobsite. This is time consuming and inconvenient, particularly in bad weather. Furthermore it is difficult for the contractor or end user add or subtract diffuser assemblies on a single air distribution header pipe. Furthermore, such diffusers become brittle in cold weather since they are made of PVC. Reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,394.
Threaded diffusers which screw into grommets or female sockets must rely typically on xc2xexe2x80x3 threads alone to resist the force of buoyancy and pressurized air originating in the air distribution header. In basins with water velocity caused by mechanical mixers or rapid influent streams, a xc2xexe2x80x3 threaded connection does not offer sufficient resistance to that force. Reference U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,835.
Clamp-on diffusers are currently available in the market with wedge connectors. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,497,402 and D,386,243 refer to clamp-on diffusers. Neither design allows the installer to completely remove the diffuser from the saddle, while leaving the saddle intact and installed on pipe. In conventional clamp-on designs, the saddle forms an integral part of the diffuser body. With such designs, it is not possible to replace the diffuser body without replacing the saddle assembly.